Join the Conversation

We still need fair housing law

Cincinnati
2:06 p.m. EDT September 2, 2014

In February 2014, Housing Opportunities Made Equal, a local fair housing agency, filed suit against the city of Blue Ash claiming the city refuses to allow Ingrid Anderson and her family to keep their child’s service animal, a miniature horse.(Photo: Provided)

As someone who has owned either a two-family or four-family for over 40 years, I found the guest column "Fair housing law an extortion scam" (Sept. 2) very interesting and a little scary. I certainly would have objected to being charged as discriminatory for doing what the landlord had done. But it seems to me to be a specious case. Not that this case couldn't happen, but it is not likely to be typical.

I think most cases about discrimination are concerning discrimination based on race, gender, or ethnicity rather than on a dog needed for anxiety reasons.

I believe most cases are pursued by organizations like HOME (Housing Opportunities Made Equal) than by an organization created as a source of extorted cash. I think most people will have to admit that over the years there has been much discrimination based on race, ethnicity, etc. which the law, rightly, does not allow.

I hope Bill 349 is not created to make it almost impossible for us to challenge legitimate instances of discrimination. Although we have come a long way toward making opportunities equal for all, we are not quite there yet.